Journey
by Reyna Demonai
Summary: Annabeth, Leo, and Jason are searching for Piper, who is missing. Atalanta, a mortal, may just be the key to finding Piper, but why is Piper gone? Gaea is rising and the gods don't even know a war is going on. Everyone needs a hero, but can Atalanta be that hero? This is set in between The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune.
1. Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except O.C. Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and characters.

A/N: Thanks to two people for making this possible: a Michigan almost-ninth grader for inspiration and to a Minnesotan sixteen-year old for patiently editing.

**Meetings**

You'd think that a person would have the decency to shout a warning to an innocent traveller before crashing into the unsuspecting victim at twenty miles per hour. Suddenly, I was knocked off my feet and fell onto my hands and knees onto the sidewalk. _Drat!_ Both my hands and knees were dirty and bleeding. The right knee of my jeans was torn. I angrily stood up to see who had so rudely charged into me.

She had been knocked down too, and looked worse off than me. Her dark hair pulled into a braid, I was able to catch a glimpse of her face; disoriented and dirty, before she clumsily got to her feet. She was maybe fifteen or sixteen years old: my age. "Sorry, sorry." She muttered, her voice somehow sounding both dehydrated and musical at the same time. My anger instantly faded at her apology.

She glanced behind her shoulders one more time, gaunt shadows on her face. "I have to go!" Her voice was panicky now, but still as compelling as before. I looked behind her as well. I didn't see anything unusual. Just some pedestrians on the city streets, perpetually rushing someplace or another. She sprinted down the sidewalk as if being chased. I sighed, looking at my watch. I was late for school again and bleeding on my knees. _Oh well. I suppose another detention or two couldn't hurt my permanent record anymore. It's my own fault for sleeping in._

I noticed a backpack lying on the sidewalk, abandoned. The teenager who'd bumped into me (RUDE!) must have forgotten it in her rush to go wherever she was hurrying to. _Okay then. I guess I could take a look and see if there's any identification in it_. I hoisted up the battered blue backpack by the straps. I'd check out at its contents at school.

I'd just started walking in that direction again when I was bumped into for a second time that trip. Luckily, I didn't fall this time. "Watch where you're going!" I yelled. This time, it was a trio of teenagers weaving around pedestrians: two guys and a girl. They were all about my age as well. I didn't blame them for running. I was going to be late to school too. One of the guys, short with curly black hair and light, coffee-colored skin, called back to me, "Sorry! Sorry!" As if I haven't already heard that today.

His eyes widened when he took in the backpack I was carrying. "Wait! Jason! Annabeth!" The other two, both fair-haired and tan, turned in response to the curly-haired guy's words.

The blonde girl's eyes, the color of a lake during thunderstorms, narrowed in on the backpack. She must be 'Annabeth.' I noticed they all wore guarded demeanors, and were out of breath. She stepped forward. "Where did you get that backpack?" Her tone demanded an immediate response.

No way was I answering the questions of some random person who almost knocked me over. "None of your business." I replied as cheerfully as I could muster.

Annabeth reached for something from her pocket. I saw a glint of bronze before the curly guy spoke up, staying her hand. "Go easy, Annabeth. I'm pretty sure she's mortal." _Of course I'm mortal! What's that supposed to mean?_ I didn't like these people one grinned at me easily. "We kinda got off on a bad foot, didn't we? Hi! My name is Leo the awesome. This is Annabeth the smart and Jason the weak." Jason, who was radiating an air of power, gave Leo a look that said, _I'll get you later_, but he kept his silence. "Anyways, we just need to know where you got that backpack because it's our friend's, who we need to find. Like, right now."

The backpack wasn't really mine, so I decided to tell them. But then a thought occurred to me: _What if that girl had been running away from them?_ Leo, at least, looked trustworthy, if a little weird (I mean, calling himself "the awesome" isn't exactly original, is it?), but Annabeth was really intense and Jason was strange. And why did they call me a 'mortal' as if they weren't? "Why is your friend lost?" I asked politely, holding the backpack close.

This time, Jason answered. I could tell immediately that he was one of those people who walked with a ramrod straight back all the time, almost like a member of the military. "She…this is her first time in the big city. We got…separated and need to find her." His voice was almost pained when he talked about his friend.

Maybe they were well-meaning…my teachers always told me I was too inclined towards pessimism… But at the same time, oh, please! This 'Jason' is a _really_ bad liar. This is making me increasingly suspicious of them. "You're tourists, then?"

"Yep!" Leo interjected, "Tourists is exactly what we are! I've always wanted to have a New York hot dog! They're the best! And go to Empire State Building and see the very _top_." He winked at Annabeth and Jason. "Also, that one place in Central Park where Grover fell asleep-"

"Leo!" Annabeth said warningly. She looked like she was the person in-charge here. This group of teenagers weren't just friends on their way to something as innocent as school or even sightseeing, like they seemed.

I wondered who exactly this 'Grover' person was or why his sleep patterns were relevant. Obviously they were important to Annabeth, but that was her problem. I checked my watch. Now I was _really_ late to school. _I'll just give them the information. And the backpack. It wasn't mine to keep in the first place. I don't know why I'm trying to protect this girl._

"She ran into me while I was walking along, minding my own business. Just like you." I said pointedly to them. "Maybe ten minutes ago. We both fell and she ran away before I could say anything. She forgot the backpack completely. I thought I would find her to give it back to her. It has to have an ID or something in here somewhere."

"Thank you. Would you mind giving us the backpack now?" Annabeth said, visibly attempting to be polite, but unable to hide how tense she was.

I reluctantly handed over the backpack to Annabeth. It really wasn't any of my business in the first place, but these teenagers seemed dangerous.

"We have company." Jason said tersely, looking behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, looking for another dangerous group of teenagers, but what I saw was much worse.


	2. Dangerous

Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and characters. I only own Atalanta.

**Dangerous**

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" I yelled, panicked. What had at first looked like a horse was actually a giant dog, charging towards us and bowling over unsuspecting pedestrians, maybe seven or eight blocks away from where we were standing. It was making a huge commotion.

"She can see through the Mist." Jason whispered in a barely-audible tone to Annabeth and Leo, saying 'Mist' as if it were a proper name.

"Guys, we have to go, like, NOW! That thing won't hurt mortals, but we all know what would happen if it caught us." Leo raised his voice.

"No." Annabeth ordered. "We have to fight it here. We can take it down together, but if we ran, and it caught Piper instead…" She trailed off.

By this point, I was really confused and freaked out by my impending death by giant dog. I mean, I may be wrong, but seriously? _Died young from being run-over by dog_ does not sound like a great way to go. Besides, I am already terrified of little puppies, but a dog almost the size of a small car? I think I can safely say that I was in a complete panic. "Excuse me, but WHAT are you TALKING about? There is LITERALLY a GIANT DOG coming towards us, and you-"

"I agree with Annabeth." Jason interrupted me, looking to Leo. "We have to protect Piper." He turned to face me. "You should get out of here. It will be too dangerous for a mortal here, especially for one who can see through the Mist."

Okay, I don't know what this 'Mist' stuff was (maybe some new drug or something?), but I did know the dog was getting closer. Despite his slightly condescending manner, I decided to trust his advice.

I spotted a corner bookstore across the street. I ran across the traffic-congested street and into the store. Out of breath, I looked around. The store was bright and cheery, full of children's books, toddlers, and happy adults.

I looked back at the scene outside. Strangely, none of the people on the street or the people driving cars seemed to notice anything amiss. Even the people knocked down by the dog just dusted themselves off and got up. Were they blind or something? The dog was only a block away. I frowned to myself, trying to figure out what was going on.

Annabeth was talking to Jason and Leo, and they were nodding at what she was saying. Leo stuck his hand into a tool belt around his waist, rummaging around and pulling out random objects. My eyes widened when Annabeth pulled out a bronze knife. I let out an audible gasp when Jason jumped into the air and…flew? _How is this POSSIBLE? _I covered my eyes with my hand for a second and when I removed my hand, Jason was still hovering in the air, now holding a golden sword. _This is unreal. Who are these people?_

The dog sniffed the air as it approached them. It fixed its huge eyes on them and charged. Annabeth yelled something, retreating behind Leo. Leo, who was now holding some metal funnel-looking thing, put his hands into the narrow end of the funnel thing. Suddenly, out of the larger end of the funnel object, came a blast of fire rushing over the monstrous dog's form. The dog came out of the flames unscathed. _Oh, great. It's not only a GIANT DOG, but it's also FLAME-PROOF. Of course._

The monster growled as Leo ran back and took cover behind a building, cursing and searching in his tool belt again. _Honestly_. What does he _have_ in that belt? I mean, other than a fire-shooting funnel (Because it's not as if _he_ could generate fire into the funnel, right?)?

Now Annabeth darted in front of the beast, distracting the monster by feinting towards its paw with her dagger as Jason swooped in from the sky and sliced its back. It only seemed annoyed by this and growled menacingly. Annabeth ran behind the building where Leo was.

I was frustrated with their dismal tactics. _For heaven's sake! Jason, you target its weak spots: its eyes. Annabeth, you keep distracting it. Leo, just stay out of the way. You are _not_ a fighter._ It was clear that Annabeth was accustomed to fighting and good at tactics, and both Leo and Jason were talented, but Jason was stabbing in all the wrong places! _Aim for something vital, like the heart, or something weak, like its eyes._ I was almost surprised at what I was thinking, but not quite. I'd always been good with strategy and the like. It made sense that I'd be good with this too.

Leo was now holding two items looking suspiciously like a homemade explosive and a detonator. He threw the explosive at the dog and yelled to Jason. Jason flew higher until he reached fifth-story level. Leo pressed the detonator, and there was a blinding explosion of molten bronze particles. I cringed on behalf of my eyes. _Okay. Sign me up for their superhero school._

When the bronze cleared, the dog was gone. I stepped out of the shop, more curious than ever. Nobody seemed to know what had happened. All the people on the sidewalks and streets were clueless, as if they hadn't even noticed the dog or the fight that had followed. Leo, Jason, and Annabeth were examining the spot where the dog had been.

"-in Tartarus for sure. No monster could have survived that much Celestial bronze."

"But now we still have to find Piper. She could be any-" The conversation stopped as I approached them.

"Who _are_ you people?" I demanded. They _did_ just fight off a mutant genetic freak of a dog who was clearly looking for _them_. I think I deserved an explanation.

Leo and Jason looked at Annabeth. She snapped her fingers once. The sound seemed to echo despite the loud Manhattan streets. "You didn't see us. You didn't see a giant dog, or a girl who bumped into you. You are simply going about your daily business."

I blinked once. My eyes unfocused. I was going about my daily business? What had just happened? My eyes refocused. I checked my watch. _Crap_. I was really late for school.

I looked up as three teenagers walked past me. Something about them seemed familiar… WAIT!

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT JUST A SECOND! There had been a giant dog here! And they had FREAKING killed it!

"STOP! Where are you going? Annabeth! Leo! Jason!" I yelled.

They stopped. Annabeth looked at me directly in the eyes. Her eyes were now the color of solid cement: unbending and determined. "What is your name?"

It seemed an unusual question, given the circumstances, but she looked like she was going to talk to me, so I guess I'd tell them. "Atalanta. Like the Greek myth, not the city."

All three looked visibly surprised at this. _Perhaps they know the myth; not exactly a happy ending, is it? But hey, I can't help it if my name is from Greek mythology, okay?_

"Atalanta. Please listen to me." Annabeth told me seriously, "I know the Mist doesn't work on you, so we can't _make_ you forget what happened here today, but trust me when I tell you that it's best that you forget and go about your life as if nothing had happened."

I could tell she was being sincere, but how could she tell me to forget what happened? They had all been acting like freaking _superheroes!_ With the flying and daggers and explosives, I wouldn't be surprised if they secretly _were._

"But-" I started.

Jason cut me off. "No. Trust me, she's right. Forget about us."

"Fine." I replied, knowing it wasn't likely that I would forget.

"'Bye, Atalanta." Leo said, a smile perpetually present on his mischievous face.

But Annabeth and Jason were staring at a spot above my head, stunned. Leo looked up too, and his expression changed.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Leo asked, looking to Annabeth and Jason.

I looked up. Glowing above my head was an image of a red sword.

"You're a daughter of Ares." Jason stated accusingly.


	3. Disbelief

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, excluding Atalanta. Rick Riordan owns everything.

**Disbelief**

I don't understand a word they're saying. Seriously. Them and their secretive, mysterious ways. The glow-y thing is super weird, but I have no idea how they can tell me my _parentage_ by it. Anyways, that wouldn't be possible.

"Not Ares as in the Greek god?" I asked, half laughing. One look at their faces confirmed my statement. "You're crazy." I tell Jason. "You're all crazy." I tell all of them. I KNOW my name is from Greek mythology, but gods? They need to be committed.

The glowing _thing_ wasn't going anywhere. I tried to swat it away, but my hand went right through it. UGH! Nobody else seemed to notice, but I am _so_ not walking around with this for the rest of my life.

"It's true," Leo admitted, "The light above your head is Ares's symbol. He's claiming you."

_No way. No_ _freaking way_. "What do you mean, claiming me?" I demanded. "I have no idea what this is about!"

Annabeth was the only one who wasn't saying anything, just assessing the situation. She was frowning, as if something didn't make sense. "Atalanta, have you seen anything unusual, like the giant dog, before?"

"Um, no. How often do monsters like that roam Manhattan?"

"You'd be surprised." Jason remarked soberly.

"Do you have two…normal parents?" Annabeth continued.

"It's none of your business, but yes, I do! I am NOT the daughter of some non-existent Greek god!" I exclaimed. They were even crazier than I thought. On the other hand, I _did _just see them fight a humungous dog in the middle of Manhattan.

"Why would Ares be claiming her, then?" Leo asked Annabeth uncertainly.

Jason looked grim. "I'm not related to Hera, but she has claim over me as my patron."

"You're Ares's hero, even if you're not his daughter." Annabeth explained.

Me? A hero? At this I laughed. I laughed and laughed until I could laugh no more. Then I bent over and laughed again. "You. People," I said, gasping for air between laughs, "Are. Crazy." I was done with them. I'd decided I'd been hallucinating the giant dog, and these people were completely off their rocker. There could be no other logical explanation to this. I started to walk away.

"Wait!"

I didn't turn around.

"Atalanta, stop!"

_Just ignore them_. I told myself.

"We can explain!"

At this, I stopped. I turned around slowly. "Explain? Explain how that monster dog just waltzed into New York, without _any_one noticing? Or why you all have swords? Or why I have a huge glowing light above my head that hasn't gone away? Or why is it that you think Greek gods exist? Ha! Yeah, right. Explain that rationally and I might just believe you."

Satisfied that they couldn't possibly have an explanation better than my own, I continued on my way. Honestly, school was a lost cause at this point. Why not just skip it altogether instead of arriving two hours late?

"Atalanta, I'm sorry but you need to come with us. It's not safe. There could be more monsters like the dog." Annabeth clasped my shoulder, spinning me around.

Pulling myself free, I spun around again. "No. They're after you anyways, right? And I really have to get to school now." School was looking better now. I just wanted to be left alone. My curiosity about this strange group had utterly vanished, in its place a desire to return to the familiar.

I walked to the end of the block and glanced back to make sure they weren't following me. I saw them looking after me, but not following. I breathed a sigh of relief as I rounded a corner.


	4. Another Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus.

A/N: I know it's been a while since my last update. I apologize. It's been incredibly busy. Please read and review! Or message me with reviews! I promise the next update will be much faster!

**Chapter 4: Another Meeting**

A deep breath, and then another. One foot forward, other foot forward. I was angry. And here's school. Oh _goody_. I walked in the doors, cringing at the absence of people in the halls. I was definitely late.

My locker was on the second floor of the building, tucked away in a back hallway that is only frequented by the people whose lockers are there. The trick now was to go through the halls and try not to be seen through the doors coming in late.

I climbed up the steps of the gray and concrete stairwell before reaching the second floor. I turned off the main hall into my little corridor.

I stopped short. Someone else was in front of my locker. Like, _right_ in front of it. Dressed in a green hoodie with reddish hair, I thought I recognized her as going to this school, but I didn't know her personally. She was humming as she sketched in her notebook.

I approached slowly. She didn't seem to even sense I was approaching, even as I stood right next to her.

"That's my locker." I remarked.

She looked up, and her eyes seemed to flash green for a second. Not an eye-color green (though her eyes were a normal green), but an unnaturally vivid grass green.

"Atalanta." She said with conviction, looking up from her sketchbook to look me in the eye.

"Hi, do I, uh…know you?" I was taken aback by her confidence and the fact that she knew my name.

"I'm Rachel. I'm a junior."

"Atalanta, sophomore…but maybe you already knew that?"

"Oh, right!" Rachel sprang to her feet, rubbing her charcoal-covered hands on her jeans. "Yeah, we were in the same 1st hour last year."

Oh, yes. 1st hour. The class I always skipped because I always arrived late to school. Whatever. It was gym class, the teacher hardly even noticed I was gone.

"Rachel…" I mused, "Rachel Elizabeth Dare?" I did remember her vaguely.

"Yes!" She smiled.

"So, you, uh, hang out around here a lot?" This was _my_ corridor. I had only ever seen the few other people who had lockers on this corridor come here.

She looked briefly uncomfortable, glancing away. "I actually don't. I was just looking for you."

What could Rachel Elizabeth Dare possibly want with _me_?

"Why?" I asked.

"I have a message for you." She looked nervous, glancing around for a second time, almost as if making sure we were the only people there.

"Okay. What is it?"

Rachel inhaled deeply. When she exhaled, her breath was…green, and glowing to boot. Her eyes misted over, gleaming with the same green color.

I stumbled backwards, watching in awestruck fascination and fear.

She spoke, sounding old and harsh and sibilant: _Listen, seeker, and heed my words._

_One has been lost to the slumbering ground,_

_While a hero had been found._

_Through fire and trial the hero must go,_

_But inevitably fail if the gods do know._

_Yet if the hero cannot answer her cry,_

_Then the lost one is destined to die._

I shivered at the sudden cold permeating the room. I was seriously scared. Rachel keeled over, all signs of anything supernatural gone.

"What. Was. That." I ground out between my teeth.

Rachel looked up. "Prophesy," she gasped, out of breath.

"Prophesy," I repeated, feeling almost dizzy. "Of course it was prophesy."

"It was a message, a future reading. You need to find Piper. You've been chosen by someone to—"

"Wait," I realized, "You're one of _them_?" Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the same one who goes to school with me, just spoke a _prophesy_. Oh yeah, and she knows about that other random group of teens I ran into.

"Yes. It's important. I only sense visions when—"

"You sense visions?" I was having trouble comprehending. What was going on?

Rachel brushed the question aside. "Yes, but we need to go. When a god has chosen you, monsters start to target you. I sense you're important. Gods and monsters will want to find you."

"I don't understand! Go WHERE? What GODS? What MONSTERS? I'm important?! For what, exactly?"

"Listen to me, Atalanta," Rachel tensed, "That was a prophecy. I understand that this is hard for you, but if we don't go, a friend of mine could be lost. For good. Please? I promise I'll explain it to you on the way."

And for some reason, I believed Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She sounded crazy, but…I guess I was starting to believe these weird teenagers now that all of this stuff was happening.

"Okay. Where are we going?" I asked.

She just smiled. "You'll see."


	5. The Bunker

Disclaimer &amp; A/N: PJO and HOO do not belong to me, but to the amazing Rick Riordan. Reviews are much appreciated! Here's an extra long chapter to make up for that last long break between updates!

**The Bunker**

"I _would_ take you straight to Camp Half-Blood normally, but according to the prophecy, the gods shouldn't know about … I thought that when Annabeth called she said that Ares had claimed you? I don't know how that is supposed to work, but I guess we'll see. We need to find Annabeth and see about it. I bet she'll know. Hmm… I wonder what your task is? I can't help but wonder… But no, that can't be it. Never mind. Anyways, you saw Piper, right? I think she's the one the prophecy is talking about. And somehow, Gaea is involved in this."

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was talking, quickly and confusingly. I didn't understand half of the things she was saying, but I think she was almost saying them more for herself than me.

The city streets were not crowded, but then again, it was a work day and school day for most, and in the mid-morning to boot. New York's skyscrapers rose up out of the horizon like sunbeams.

Rachel seemed to know where she was going, and walked with purpose, babbling as we went on.

"Rachel…" I interrupted.

"Hmm?" She responded.

"Where are we even going?"

"There's a bunker we have in New York, which we started since the Titan War. After Kronos almost overran the city, we decided it was probably a good idea. I'll tell you every thing once we get there," Rachel promised, "I know it's hard to take in at first, but don't worry. Nobody has it all figured out for a while." She smiled kindly.

"Yeah, thanks." My head felt like it was going to explode, and I had thought that there hadn't been actual war in New York since the Revolutionary War or before, but for some reason her promise reassured me.

"Here we are now." She stopped walking abruptly, and I almost walked past her before I stopped myself.

It was a small, nondescript building with a clean but ordinary door through which we entered after Rachel produced a key. The room in which we entered looked half like a lounge room, and half like a military headquarters. It had Greek-esque statues decorating it, as well as couches, chairs, a table, and a huge television screen. It also had multiple first aid kits, maps, and dangerous-looking bronze objects scattered everywhere in a disorganized fashion.

Sitting on a chair, leaning over a map spread out on the table, Annabeth muttered to herself, so deep in thought that she didn't even notice their entrance. Jason was sitting on the couch, watching Leo test out something that looked curiously like a hand-made fleet of tiny copper dragons. When the little copper dragons breathed fire, my suspicions were confirmed. At our entrance, Jason immediately stood up, completely alert until he saw whom it was. Leo grinned.

"Sorry about the dragons. Don't worry. They won't try to burn you unless you offend them." Leo said.

"Hello to you too, Leo." Rachel announced. "Annabeth, Jason, hi. Look who's here."

Annabeth finally seemed aware of our presence and glanced up in surprise. "Atalanta," she started, "welcome to our bunker."

"Hi." I was EXTREMELY uncomfortable and EXTREMELY not happy with this whole situation.

"You should probably come over here. Explaining all this might take a while." Annabeth gestured to the other chair at the table.

Hesitant, I glanced at Rachel. She nodded. I looked over to Jason and Leo, to see them pulling up chairs at the table too. Okay, as much as I absolutely distrusted Annabeth and Jason, Rachel and Leo didn't seem half bad. They might not even be crazy. I sat down at the table.

"The Greek gods are real. All of them." Annabeth's intensity didn't faze me. I had studied ancient civilizations in school, and of course with a name like mine, random Ancient Greece scholars cannot help but comment on the mythology behind it. Something about a huntress? Anyways, as much as those people's comments on my name were _annoying_ and _unnecessary_ and _boring_, I knew some Greek mythology from that.

From what I'd heard, this news of the Greek gods being real was not good news.

"But the Greek gods were," I didn't want to offend these people with the dangerous weapons and fire-breathing dragon machines, "…not nice." I finished.

Jason spoke up. "Atalanta, try to understand, that the Greek gods might not be …perfect," Even Jason seemed to stumble over this word. Uh-oh. "But they're a lot better than the alternative." He concluded.

"And the alternative is…?" I asked, glancing around the table to find grim expressions on everybody's faces.

"Titans, or giants." Leo answered, with not even a speck of his humor. He wasn't even smiling.

Yep, I guess I should be worried.

"And things have been getting worse." Rachel said, "Last year, we fought in the Titan War. The titans tried to overthrow the gods, and we managed to stop them. Those freak storms last year; those were the titans fighting. Now, it looks like we're having another crisis. Gaea, the mother of the titans, is now rising. She is the earth itself, and wants to raise the giants in place of the gods.

"Your prophecy about the 'one lost to the slumbering ground,'" Rachel continued, "That was about our friend, Piper."

"She was the one you bumped into," Annabeth explained.

"No, _she_ bumped into _me_." I responded sassily, before realizing that I probably shouldn't have been so insensitive, given that their friend was missing. Even if _I _was correct (and I'm always, okay: _usually_, correct).

"Whoever bumped into whom, it really doesn't matter." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Piper had been acting strangely for days when she suddenly disappeared."

"We _have_ to find her," Jason interrupted, "You _need_ to do this, or else she'll die."

"Wait a second, do what?" I asked.

"You need to find Piper, and go through 'fire and trial' to get there," Rachel quoted the prophecy, "This is her bag with the supplies you need." She handed me the bag I had seen Piper drop earlier. "Now, DO NOT attract the gods' attention about what you are doing, or else you'll fail."

"But she was claimed by Ares," Leo interrupted.

"Which is where she'll start," Annabeth stated authoritatively, "Atalanta needs to go to Ares herself and find out why he claimed her, and whether he 'chose' her as the hero to find Piper. This time of year, Ares will be …" She consulted her map, "…right about here. Aphrodite told me the coordinates when she heard that Piper was gone. She doesn't know any specific about Atalanta, of course." Annabeth pointed to some spot in middle-of-nowhere Minnesota prairie/farmland.

That's fantastic. Not only do I not have a clue what is going on, I also am apparently going to Minnesota now, too. And it's winter. I bet they have, like, 100 feet of snow or something.

"I'll tell my parents I'm staying overnight at a friend's house or something." Admittedly, the last time I was at a friend's house, I was in 7th grade, but hopefully then my parents will be all the more thrilled to hear. "But, how am I going to get to Minnesota?" I asked. I didn't have money on me, and I wouldn't particularly want to spend money anyways on their "say-so" about this.

"Pegasi." Rachel smiled.

"Pegasi?" I asked.

"Pegasi." Leo confirmed.

Now all of them were smiling at me. Ugh! I hated being the center of this negative attention. "What are you all smiling at?" demanded, perhaps a little harshly.

"Nothing, nothing." Rachel soothed.

"And for this quest, you'll choose two others to accompany you." Annabeth said.

"Okay, I chose Rachel and Leo." I announced. Annabeth and Jason's intensity was alienating and practically frightening.

"Are you sure you want…me?" Rachel asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I'm mortal." Rachel said.

"Aren't we all?"

Rachel glanced at the others. "Actually, no."

My head was positively spinning.

"Let's just go. I don't want to know."

Maybe I was a tiny bit impulsive…No! I shoved that thought out of my head.

Rachel and Leo followed me outside. Three pegasi waited outside, magically appeared.

Also outside, a broad-shouldered boy with dark hair and a murderous expression leaned against the building, polishing a sword.

"Nico?!" Rachel yelled.


	6. Answers

A/N: This story is set before _Son of Neptune _and after _The Lost Hero_. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. It won't take this long for the next one! Please read and review! Thanks to Allislove for that amazing review! As always, PJO and HOO belong to Rick Riordan, not me.

**Chapter 6: Answers**

"You can't go. Rachel, You CANNOT find Ares. Do you understand? The gods can't know about this quest." The boy—_No, _I corrected myself, _the teenager—_put the sword down and walked towards us calmly, yet with an expression like thunder.

He looked to be a couple of years younger than I, but with such intensity written into his face that he looked practically college age. I noticed now that his shoulders were not as broad as they had first seemed, but rather appeared as such because of black armor he wore over his shoulders and chest.

"_But inevitably fail if the gods do know_…Hmm… that sounds like the prophecy. But I thought it was safe to assume that Ares already knew about it because he _claimed_ her!" Piper's stance changed and was immediately guardedly reflective.

"But that's the thing. Ares didn't claim her. I doubt Ares even knows she exists, which is the way we want to keep it. I know who could have claimed her, and I know why."

"Um, hi. My _name_ is Atalanta, _not_ 'she' or 'her.' I am standing right here. Now, who are you?"

At least Leo looked almost as confused as I was. Maybe he hadn't met Nico before either?

This whole conversation was making me very uncomfortable. They were talking about _me_. My head was caving in– no, it was positively exploding. I needed to say something, and figure out who this 'Nico' was. When did this get so complicated? I was just a New Yorker this morning: an innocent New Yorker who knew nothing of swords and giant dogs. Did I mention yet that my head was exploding?

Rachel and Nico looked at me for the first time in the conversation. "Nico. I'm Nico," was the reluctant reply to my question.

Well. _That_ was a descriptive answer, but at least he answered, and at this point I'll take what I get.

"Nico. Hey–I've heard of you!" Leo said in excitement. "You're the one who convinced Hades to help the gods win the Titan War last year! You can do the whole shadow-travel thing too, right?"

Nico looked trapped. He obviously wasn't used to such excitement when people realized who he was. He muttered, "Yeah, that's me."

"So you know why someone put that 'claiming' light over my head?" I asked.

"Yes. I talked with some gho—" Nico looked at Rachel with a silent question. "…some friends. It could have been Iris or Hecate, working through their demigod children," (_Demigods_? I asked silently, _Children?_) "But I have been sensing more unrest among the dea— among friends lately, and many of them have been falling ill."

"How can they fall ill?" Rachel asked. "For gods' sake! They're already _dead_."

Huh. So that's why Nico was being so weird about his "friends." But…that is so extremely creepy. Yet another reminder that the world has expanded since this morning, and I had no idea exactly what it contained anymore.

I blurted out, "Nico, are you dead?" He looked so alive, and yet, with dead friends, maybe he was one of them. He seemed pale enough, and Rachel mentioned something earlier about not all of them being mortal.

Nico looked startled for an instant, and it was Rachel who responded.

"No, Nico isn't dead, he just …can talk to the dead."

Nico rolled his eyes and scowled. "It's not exactly as simple as that, but there's no time for this now. The dead are not doing so well. They can't _get_ physically sick, but mentally? Emotionally? There's something very, very wrong."

He handed something to Rachel. It was small, black, stone-like. "From the Mnemosyne river in the Underworld." Nico pronounced the word "Mnemosyne" like "Nemo-sin-ee."

He turned and explained to me, "Every time a mortal or demigod dies, and it is determined that they have done good things in their life, they have a choice: to drink from the river Lethe or the river Mnemosyne.

"If they drink from the river Lethe, they lose all of their memories of their previous life, and are reborn to a new mortal life. If they drink from the river Mnemosyne, they retain their memories and go to Elysium, where they remain in comfort and peace for eternity.

"But Rachel, there is something wrong with Mnemosyne. It's affecting the dead. If they choose to drink from Mnemosyne, their memories are influenced."

"Influenced? Influenced how?" Rachel asked tersely.

"Does it have anything to do with Gaea?" Leo asked.

"I don't know exactly who did it, but once the dead drink from the Mnemosyne, their memories cast the gods in a very, very negative light, and the giants and Gaea in a very positive light.

"I didn't even know it was possible, but they are going crazy and revolting against Hades himself. Heroes who _died _fighting for the gods and against the titans or the giants are now taking the giants' side.

"I don't know who claimed you, Atalanta, but I know why. The gods need a hero, but they can't know about you. Their powers are somehow being used against them. Aphrodite's gift of persuasion is being used to shape the memories of the dead. The dead are winning the war, with blessings from Athena and Ares. And the gods don't even know that they've given these gifts to aid the dead! How could they, when they don't even know the war is going on in the underworld?! Hades's gifts haven't been used against him, but his very realm is being threatened! And after the dead, who will be influenced next? If the gods know about you, their powers could be used against you, with or without their control." Nico's voice had risen to a shout by the end of his speech.

"Nico." Annabeth had emerged from the bunker during his speech. She greeted him. "I thought I heard you out here."

"Annabeth." Nico nodded at her.

"I heard some of what you were saying, but where is Piper? And who claimed Atalant—"

Annabeth cut herself off, looking at something behind Nico.

What looked like a window of air at eye level was expanding, and glowing…rainbow colors?

"An Iris message…" Rachel muttered. "From whom?"

Piper's face appeared in the window of air. I gasped. It looked like her head was floating in the air.

"Oh gods." Leo said. "Jason!" he yelled at the bunker. "Get down here!"

Jason rushed out of the building as Piper turned around. She was consulting a map, and she was on a bus. She looked around jumpily, but didn't even seem to notice that the 'Iris' window was open.

She wasn't in New York City anymore. The bus was on a highway, and there wasn't enough traffic at this time of day for her to be near the city. The map she was looking at seemed to be of Pennsylvania.

"Piper…" Jason whispered. He turned to Annabeth, and then Leo. "What is this?"

"Shhh." Annabeth said quietly. "Somebody sent this Iris message to us, and it wasn't her. We need to watch carefully."

Abruptly, Piper stood up and drew out a knife. Bronze and shiny, it reflected her image. Nobody else on the bus seemed to notice the knife. Piper moved up the rows of the bus, tapping everybody's head with her hand, which had started to glow. They all looked confused, but didn't notice Piper.

"What is she doing?" Leo asked Annabeth.

"…I don't know." Annabeth replied.

"Piper!" Jason called out.

Startled, Piper turned around and saw the Iris message. Using her knife, she swiped it through the message, making eye contact with me right before it dissolved.

I shivered. That was weird. The people on the bus didn't notice what she was doing! What _was_ she doing?

Everybody looked grim. "We're going to Pennsylvania." Jason announced. "Let's find Piper."


	7. On the Road

A/N: I don't own PJO or HOO. It's summer, so here's an extra long chapter! Enjoy the story. Please read and review!

**Chapter 7: On the road**

"I'm just _saying_ Pennsylvania is a big state! There's no way we can just _find_ her as soon as we cross state borders, especially if she doesn't want to be found!" Annabeth's foot was on the gas pedal and we were already going 70 in a 55 mph zone.

"I'm not saying Pennsylvania _isn't_ big! I'm not saying we'll just find her! But the worst thing we could do is just drive around in the middle of rural Pennsylvania all day! We need to go to a city first. Where else could she be?" Jason shot back.

We had been in the car for just half an hour and already Annabeth and Jason were arguing. All five of us were in a van because there weren't enough pegasi for all of us. Annabeth was driving (a van advertising strawberries: a "side business," I was told), and either she had no idea what a speed limit was, or she was angry.

Nico was staring out a window; Rachel and Leo were talking (something about the logic of prophesy?); Jason and Annabeth were in the front arguing; and I was sitting in the back crammed between Rachel and Nico. Nico didn't exactly seem the talkative type, so I just sat, trying to look out the window. I felt like I was on a family road trip, complete with all the awkwardness and arguments that go along with it.

"It wouldn't be driving around! We'd be looking for our contacts. If _you_ haven't already forgotten, we can't contact the gods, so we need to find our other contacts, who might actually know where she is! Also Pennsylvania has _lots _of cities: Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh…"

"But there's no guarantee our contacts will still be there!"

"There's no guarantee Piper is in a city."

Annabeth and Jason sat in silence for a while.

Miles passed by in a blur on the highway. Rachel and Leo had stopped talking, and Rachel was sketching a building as Leo crafted a pair of binoculars out of plastic. Nico began fidgeting with a small figurine that he must have had in his pocket. _Mythomagic_? Nico hadn't really seemed the type of person who would play Mythomagic.

Maybe five minutes later, Jason spoke softly. "Annabeth...truce?"

"Fine." Annabeth replied reluctantly.

Another pause. I sat uncomfortably. I could tell that there was more to be said, but both Jason and Annabeth were acutely aware of how small this van was and how much could be overheard.

Rachel looked up. "We need to refuel on gas. We'll run out soon."

"Prophecy?" I asked, curious.

She smiled at this. "No. Observation." The fuel gauge was nearing _EMPTY._

"We'll pull off on the next exit." Annabeth said shortly.

The town was small and the gas station empty where we turned off the highway. It felt so good to be out in the sunshine. Walking in the sun after being in that car for an hour helped me clear my mind of the craziness of the day. I could hardly believe what had happened in the space of the last five hours.

I still had my school backpack from this morning with me. Luckily, I never cleaned my backpack (huh, I never thought I'd say _that_), so I still had a textbook on the "Latin and Greek Roots of the Modern World" from last semester in there. I decided it was time to see what I could find out about this whole "gods" thing.

I knew some basic Greek mythology about Zeus and lightning and Heracles and all because of my name's Greek mythological origins and because of the Disney movie, but I didn't really know a whole lot about monsters like the giant dog, or who Annabeth, Jason, Leo, and Nico were (because they weren't "mortal").

I opened the van's trunk and sat on the bumper, fishing out the book from my backpack. I flipped to the chapter "Greek religion and belief," which I (might have) skipped reading last year. The first thing I saw was a glowing guy with a huge scythe.

_Great_, _I just love dangerous-looking glowing people with large weapons..._ I thought glumly.

"We've all been through it."

I jumped at the sudden voice. Annabeth was rounding the van after having filled it up with gas.

"It's hard, finding out there's more to the world than you thought." She leaned over to see my textbook. "That's Kronos. He cut his father up with that scythe." Annabeth said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Um, that's good." I breathed; my bravado and confidence having deserted me shortly after I found out freaking _gods_ existed.

Annabeth smiled. "We don't have to worry about him anymore. He was destroyed… maybe you remember the terrible storms last summer?"

I nodded. Yes, I remembered those "freak weather incidents."

Leo came around the van, munching on some type of granola bar. "So, this is where the party is, huh?"

Annabeth, to her credit, only rolled her eyes a little bit.

"Hey, that's Kronos, right?" Leo pointed to the guy in the textbook. He seemed pretty proud of himself for knowing who it was, so maybe I wasn't the only one who didn't have a PhD in Greek mythology.

Jason and Rachel came around the back too, carrying some snacks from the gas station.

"Where did Nico go?" Jason asked, glancing expectantly at Annabeth.

I looked around. The gas station was empty, we were the only vehicle in the vicinity, and Nico was nowhere in site.

"I don't know. Why are you asking _me_?"

"Well, you're supposed to be leading us, right? _And_ you've known Nico the longest." Jason said rigidly.

"That doesn't make me omniscient! And Nico does what he wants. He always has." Annabeth snapped.

"And you didn't pay attention to where he went off to."

"I'm not responsible for watching where everyone vanishes off to!"

"So Nico just _disappeared_. People can just _disappear. _We don't pay attention, and then they disappear and we never find them again. Is _that_ how it's supposed to work?!"

Jason glares at Annabeth and Annabeth glares back.

"YES, Jason. THAT is how it works. People disappear and we never see them again. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR?!" Annabeth's face glowed red.

Jason and Annabeth stare each other down for a second before Jason deflates.

"No. No, Annabeth, no. I'm so sorry. I haven't been myself since Piper vanished," Jason pauses for a moment before continuing softly, "You _will_ find Percy. He's just at Camp Jupiter. I know them, and if he's half the hero people say he is, he'll survive there just fine. It's not your fault he disappeared."

I wondered who Percy was, but now didn't seem the time to ask.

Annabeth breathed. "Yes. And, Jason…we're going to find Piper too. She can't have vanished. She's in this state somewhere."

Jason half-smiled. "Okay. Now, we had better find where Nico is."

Just then, Nico emerged from the gas station.

Jason looked at Annabeth sheepishly.

"Nico, where were you?" Annabeth asked.

"Um, I was in the gas station _bathroom._ Where did you think I was?" Nico asked.

Rachel, Leo, and I exchanged a glance that said _Oops_ as Annabeth and Jason chorused "Nowhere." practically in unison.

"Okay, back on the road people! We have a schedule to keep!" Leo's energy was apparently boundless.

Suddenly, it felt as if the temperature dropped about ten degrees.

"Did you all feel that, just then?" I asked.

"Yes." Rachel said, glancing nervously around.

"What is that?" I asked.

Tensely, Annabeth replied, "I don't know."

Nico drew his black sword as Annabeth whipped out a knife. Jason withdrew a gold coin from his pocket and Leo reached into an empty toolbelt and withdrew a wrench I swear wasn't there a second before.

"Circle formation." Jason ordered.

"Backs to the inner circle, face the outside," Annabeth added. "Rachel, Atalanta, do you have any weapons?"

"No." Rachel and I replied simultaneously.

Annabeth turned. "Leo, what do you have in your toolbelt?"

"Knives are the best I can do for now. For anything bigger, it would take too long to recharge for me to get weapons to both of them." Leo withdrew two small bronze knives, bigger and sharper than kitchen knives, but smaller than Annabeth's knife.

"You two, get inside the gas station. I'm not sure what's coming, but odds are that whatever it is will ignore you because you're mortal. Take the knives just in case. Understood?"

"Yeah, I know the drill," Rachel said.

"Atalanta?"

"Yes, I understand."

We took the knives and ran to the gas station. The one employee inside didn't seem to even notice knives in our hands. I clutched it the knife in my hand. It felt strange to hold this weapon designed to kill. I dreaded the idea of using it.

"What now?" I asked Rachel.

"Now, we wait. They know what they're doing."

"Rachel…what exactly _are _they, if they aren't mortal? And where do you fit in with all of this?"

She paused for a second. "You already know that gods exist. For the most part, the gods do their own thing, but every so often, a god falls for a mortal. And when that happens…well, there are almost always children."

"Annabeth and Jason and Nico and Leo, they're all demigods," Rachel continued, "They have certain powers inherited from their godly parent, but they aren't immortal, and can be killed by human or immortal weapons. Demigods are often caught up in the affairs of gods. For one thing, monsters can smell them. Monsters generally don't mess with humans, but demigods smell like an all-you-can-eat buffet to them. So, usually demigods learn to fight young to try to stay alive and prevent the world from ending."

"Pretty sucky task." I muttered.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, watching out the window.

Around the circle of demigods, ice had crept along the tarmac, and was slowly nearing their feet. Leo's hands exploded in fire, which he threw at the ice. This ice didn't even thaw from the heat of the flames as it steadily kept coming closer and closer.

Rachel spoke with a hint of nervousness in her voice, keeping her eyes glued on the ice and demigods. "As for me, I'm mortal, but I've always been able to see through the Mist. The Mist is the veil that protects humans from seeing monsters and gods as they truly are. Odds are, you've seen a monster before. You just haven't realized that it was a monster. I honestly thought I was a little crazy when I saw all these things that nobody else could see, but then I met a demigod. Long story, short: basically I came to the demigods' camp and became their Oracle, so now I speak prophecies sometimes."

We watched for another long, tense moment. The ice reached their feet, and suddenly, the space around the van erupted into a storm of wind and snow, obscuring the demigods from view.

A second later, the storm dissipated, but when the snow cleared, everyone had vanished.

Rachel rushed out of the gas station, me a step behind her. She circled around the van, but nothing was there, not even a trace of the demigods, or of the ice or snow.

"Styx! They're just… gone." Rachel angrily kicked the van's huge front right tire.

"What now?" I asked helplessly.

I watched as, without warning, the air in between Rachel and I bent into shadows, and twisted back into light again. Nico stumbled out of the shadows and into space. Staggering, Nico lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Nico!" Rachel gasped.

Before he lost consciousness, he uttered one word: "Cheimon."


End file.
